Mind

I was home schooled for a long time, by my Mother, who barely graduated from high school. After this, I attended a sub-par public school of around 200 kids total, in the middle of nowhere in the Pacific Northwest. Yet, somehow, I was able to do very well on all standardized tests, obtain National Honor Society status in college, and et into elite grad schools (I have two graduate degrees, both from top 10 schools). More importantly, I have managed to obtain success in the workplace over the years.

I do supposedly have a high IQ, but frankly, I think that is pretty overrated and subjective. I know of many people with purported high IQ’s who I would not trust taking out the garbage. My theory here is that it boiled down to a couple things. First, the isolation and home school did not indoctrinate me to only adopt and utilize other people’s ideas the way it does most schoolchildren. I wasn’t really taught that learning is about doing what a teacher tells you, so the idea of deference to authority in examination of questions never really set. The second, and likely most important, was that there was NOTHING to do out in the middle of nowhere. Especially for the first 12 yrs of my life, I had zero entertainment. No TV, no other kids to watch TV over someone else’s house. We had no electricity, no running water, no neighbors. Nothing. So what was there to do? I read. Voraciously. Reading was my entertainment, my escape. I read everything I could get my hands on. I read novels at 7, simply because I had run out of kids books. (I had to use a dictionary a lot.) My parents really didn’t monitor anything I read. My Mom would, on her occasional trips into civilization for supplies, go to the Salvation Army and snap up cheap books. Then she worked out a deal with the library in that town (it was about 70 miles away and took forever to get to because you had to drive on logging roads out of the mountains for about 30 miles of it) to give us some extended times for returning books, and a whole new world opened up. I’d get as many books as they would let me.

I truly believe reading will give you super powers, especially in this day and age. Studies have shown conclusively that the medium through which you absorb information will alter your brain. In essence, digital technology rewires your brain, and not in a useful way. You might be better at multi-tasking, but you will suffer in terms of focus, comprehension, and the ability to work out complex problems. The good news is that reading fixes that. It re-configures your brain back. So what should you read? Anything, as long as it is long enough and requires you to focus and think in an extended, linear fashion. However, there are books that everyone should probably read. Below is a quick list of some favorites of mine.

  • Gates of Fire (Pressfield): https://amzn.to/2CchmCS Everyone should read this book, but especially men. Courage, discipline, strength, honor, brotherhood. One of my all time favorites.
  • For Whom the Bell Tolls (Earnest Hemingway) https://amzn.to/2FnfBGk I’d recommend just about anything by Hemingway. This one made me think a lot about mortality, masculinity, war. All good stuff.
  • Lord of the Rings Trilogy: https://amzn.to/2FmncVs Classic tale of good and evil. If you have only watched the movies, you really need to read the books to truly appreciate Tolkien’s genius. I read this series when I was very young, and have re-read it at different times during my life. Must have for any home library.
  • Brave New World (Huxley): https://amzn.to/2SLFGml Huxley predicted that what we love will ruin us. In age of smart phones, video games, bio tech etc. Brave New World seems prescient.
  • 1984 (Orwell): https://amzn.to/2CeGrgD Orwell is the more known, and has the higher Amazon ranking. Read both, and decide who had the more accurate vision of what is happening to us today. I think Huxley.
  • Mere Christianity (CS Lewis): https://amzn.to/2SOePWE I was agnostic for approximately 30 years of my life. Lewis, more than any other writer, helped me resolve some of my roadblocks to faith.
  • All the Light We Cannot See (Doerr): https://amzn.to/2STkTNq I like historical fiction, and this one was an easy and enjoyable read. Would recommend for just about anyone.
  • Heros (Paul Johnson): https://amzn.to/2SMhpfZ Everyone needs to read history on their own. Johnson makes reading history fun, and I really enjoy his style and presentation. This is a light, quick hit book that is an excellent primer in learning about some historical heroes.
  • Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury): https://amzn.to/2RMA0eF Another classic that merits reading (or re-reading) in our modern culture.
  • The Road (Cormac McCarthy): https://amzn.to/2Fnt6pf Post apocalyptic novel of a father and son trying to survive. Heart wrenching and powerful. Fathers especially should read this book.
  • Mr. Sammlers Planet (Bellows): https://amzn.to/2VGbGtT I honestly did not know whether I liked this book or not the first time I read it. It (and the main character) grew on me. A worthwhile read.
  • Bonfire of the Vanities (Wolfe): https://amzn.to/2RJDqys Very interesting book, nobody is presented in a good light, and with reason. The “hero” of the book is a terrible person, but you come to almost root for him in light of the events he is caught in.
  • Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success (Hill): https://amzn.to/2RANmdK This book wasn’t even published until after the author’s death. There was fear of controversy. It’s a very interesting read.
  • The Dogstars (Heller): https://amzn.to/2SLJ6FH Another post-apocalyptic novel, and a good one.
  • Amusing Ourselves to Death (Neil Postman): https://amzn.to/2SSQSh6 Excellent analysis of the effects of electronic media, that though written decades ago, is still timely in its message.
  • Modern Times (Paul Johnson): https://amzn.to/2SNTJYC Great book regarding recent world history. Reading books like this helps you see things with a much better perspective.